Attention A T users. To access the menus on this page please perform the following steps. 1. Please switch auto forms mode to off. 2. Hit enter to expand a main menu option (Health, Benefits, etc). 3. To enter and activate the submenu links, hit the down arrow. You will now be able to tab or arrow up or down through the submenu options to access/activate the submenu links.

Locator

Contact

Ask a Question

Toll Free Numbers

Locator

Hospitals and Clinics

Vet Centers

Regional Benefits Offices

Regional Loan Centers

Cemetery Locations

VA » Health Care » PTSD: National Center for PTSD » About » Karen S. Mitchell, PhD

PTSD: National Center for PTSD

Karen S. Mitchell, PhD

Clinical Research Psychologist

Women's Health Sciences Division

Email: Karen.Mitchell@va.gov

Academic Appointment

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine, Associate Professor of Psychiatry

Education

Louis Stokes Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Predoctoral Internship
Virginia Commonwealth University, Counseling Psychology, MS and PhD

Expertise and Interests

Comorbidity of eating disorders and PTSD
Etiology and prevention of eating disorders and PTSD
Treatment approaches to comorbid PTSD and eating disorders
Quantitative methodology, including structural equation modeling and hierarchical linear modeling

Featured Publications

Zelkowitz, R. L., Serier, K. N., Smith, B. N., Kehle-Forbes, S., Vogt, D. S., & Mitchell, K. S. (2025). Identifying candidate mechanisms of comorbidity in disordered eating and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms among U.S. veterans: A network analytic approach. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 17(3), 631-638. https://doi.org/10.1037/tra0001690 PTSDpubs id1633337 (PDF)

Mitchell, K. S., Serier, K. N., Smith, B. N., & Vogt, D. (2024). Associations between avoidant/restrictive food intake disorder profiles and trauma exposure in veteran men and women. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 80(12), 2344-2356. https://doi.org/10.1002/jclp.23743 PTSDpubs id1638604 (PDF)

Mitchell, K. S., Sienkiewicz, M., Smith, B. N., Vogt, D., Kehle-Forbes, S., & Cooper, Z. (2022). Associations between probable eating disorders and healthcare use among post-9/11 veteran men and women. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 157, 110811. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jpsychores.2022.110811 PTSDpubs id1591717 (PDF)

Mitchell, K. S., Singh, S., Hardin, S., & Thompson-Brenner, H. (2021). The impact of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder on eating disorder treatment outcomes: investigating the unified treatment model. International Journal of Eating Disorders, 54(7), 1260-1269. https://doi.org/10.1002/eat.23515 id1568418 PTSDpubs (PDF)

Mitchell, K. S., Scioli, E. R., Galovski, T., Belfer, P. L., & Cooper, Z. (2021). Posttraumatic stress disorder and eating disorders: Maintaining mechanisms and treatment targets. Eating Disorders, 29(3), 292-306. https://doi.org/10.1080/10640266.2020.1869369 id1563531 (PDF)

Find a full list of my publications on PubMed Link will take you outside the VA website. VA is not responsible for the content of the linked site. .

Key Projects

Dr. Mitchell recently completed VA- and Department of Defense-funded investigations of eating disorders, comorbidity, risk factors, screening, and healthcare use among Veteran men and women. She received a notice of intent to fund a VA Health Systems Research award to investigate the impact of VA provider training on eating disorders diagnosis and treatment, and barriers and facilitators to treatment.